Tuesday 21 March 2017

Gay Pride volunteers needed!


TEAM PRIDE NEEDS YOU

Thank you for stepping forward to volunteer with Pride in London 2017!

Pride in London needs a team of over 700 dedicated, enthusiastic volunteers working to make Pride an amazing celebration worthy of London.

It's really easy to get involved:
  • Simply fill out your details below and that's it, you're then officially one of our volunteers. If you are already signed up from 2016 (or a previous year) you don't need to sign up again
  • You'll then receive our e-newsletters to keep you informed of all the latest news from Pride in London and keep you updated on social events. Details of those all important training sessions and available roles for the big day will released when Pride gets a little bit closer. 
  • Sorry, but you must be 18 years of age or older to volunteer with Pride in London.
  • Note that, in order to volunteer for Pride in London, you will need to be available on Pride Day itself (Saturday 8 July) or for Pride in the Park (Sunday 9 July). You will also need to be available to attend one of our training sessions which will take place at the end of May/beginning of June 2017. If you're not available on one of the days and would still like to be involved please contact us using the below email for potential opportunities.
  • We also have a Facebook group for our volunteers. You can join the group herePlease remember: If the name you use on Facebook and the name you register below with are different you will need to send an email to volunteer@prideinlondon.org so that we can verify that you are a registered volunteer by using your email address.

If you have any questions at all, please email us using volunteer@prideinlondon.org. Once you've filled in this form you'll need to confirm your email address by clicking on the link we'll email you - this might go into your junk folder. Please add our email address (above) to your safe senders or contacts list. If we can't get in touch with you, you won't know what to do.

We look forward to welcoming you on board!


Thanks


Volunteer Management Team

We respect your right to privacy and will keep safe any personal details that you give us in line with the UK Legislation on Data Protection. We will only ask you to give us personal details if you wish to register and we will only keep those details for as long as you wish to be a volunteer at London LGBT+ Community Pride. We will never pass on or share, in anyway, your personal details with third parties without your express consent.

Monday 20 March 2017

CONOR MCGREGOR V FLOYD MAYWEATHER

CONOR MCGREGOR
V
FLOYD MAYWEATHER
LAS VEGAS TRAVEL PACKAGE
 
10th June 2017

Las Vegas, USA

Friday 17 March 2017

Thank you for coming yesterday!






Forgive the round robin but thank you for attending GPN yesterday at The Village.  Your support is really appreciated and it was great  to see you. 
I invite you to join the LGBT Social group every 2nd Wednesday of the month for the Gay London and the Gay Walthamstow every first Friday of the month. FREE Registration for Gay London  FREE Registration for Gay Walthamstow
GPN & GBA meet EVERY 3rd Thursday of the monthRegistration
GPN supports our gay pubs and venues  as they otherwise disappear. The Village has been very welcoming for the past year or so. We like the VERY central Location, however if you have any other suggestion or if you could host yourself in your offices, home or venue, it is richly rewarded as advertised to over 6 millions of our members worldwide, read the statistics of  GPN here.  
It was a lovely evening yesterday when we met new and old friends and people who we made business or introduced each others to make really meaningful and successful business and social contact. You know that the quality of your contacts is better than the quantity. 

GPN is probably the biggest network anywhere: in London, we are about 10,000 and growing steadily. 
Have you looked recently at gpn.one (because there is only one Gay Professional Network) which gives you a lot more information, such as how far fetching we are,  about our Network?
You can communicate with all the registered members through these media: Facebook Page,  Group and LinkedIn. I invite you to join this groups if you have not already done so.
GPN is a membership organisation and I would like to invite you to take advantage of this special offer of £ 200 a year payable on a recurring basis, this gives you FREE registration to all the networking events named above and from April an additional one that will be open to all LGBTS, yes S stands for Straight, this opens up more windows to our networking. 

If you look at the events section of our website you will discover other very exclusive events, like a lunch in the Guildhall's Crypts with the Lord Mayor and other dinners in private  members clubs. You can still pay monthly too but the on/off facility is now withdrawn. All new members are able to use the one off facility 3 times, this give them time to find out if they want to join or not.

Please go to http://gpn.one/online%20payment.html to make up your choice. 

Members of GBA get another direct link, ask the coordinator, Stephen Cootes.

The Gay Professional Network is your platform to promote your cause, your business, venue and yourself. It  helps your further your business or career and makes meaningful business and social contacts. You get connected, proactive and productive.
It is also a get together of like minded people who enjoy meeting other people. All very nice people in a relaxed atmosphere.

There are many advantages to be a member such as free legal, financial, property or events consultation and free entries to many clubs, discount and other perks, posted on a regular basis on our newsletter, where you will find also news about our members. 
GPN operates since 2010 on a non profit basis. The excess from the membership fees after drinks pays for websites, promotion, stationary, transport & banners.
 
GPN is proud to be associated with myGworkRegister on this platform(Free) to look for employment in a company free of prejudices. Employers also find the best available from the LGBT Community to ensure diversity in their workforce.
I trust you have made some useful and meaningful contacts. Do keep in touch with them and I.  I was dubbed at an official dinner in the City of London as the most well connected person in London so try me: if I don't know someone I am sure I know someone who does. 
As you may know, I have been in business in UK since 1987 and have a very extensive network of businesses and contacts in the world. I don't speak much about me and my enterprises at the gathering as I give you the opportunity to do so but if you want to know more about me, have a look at my website. 
Finally, I have put the list of attendees with their websites, when known, here, if yours does not show and would like to appear, please let me have it.

I very much look forward to seeing you again soon. 
Best wishes, 
Jean-François. 
0783178220
Your success is my ambition.





Attendees 16-03-2017

First Name  Surname Website Profession
Andrew Ross www.global-garden.co.uk CEO
Chris  Ferguson www.trimontrea.com Asset Management
Daniele  Ciferri   Film Maker
Darren Hutchinson www.hutchinsonmoss.com Accountant & Business Advisor
David Steiert www.randdtax.co.uk Entrepreneur
David Sloan   Theatre Producer
Henry  Field www.jenrickcommercial.co.uk/henry-field Recruitment Partner
Ian  Dodds www.iandoddsconsulting.com Coach
Jean-Francois Dor www.jfdor.co.uk Events organiser
Laurie Powell www.powdin.co.uk  Chartered Accountant
Mark  Weeks www.markweeks.com Photographer
Michael Daniels   Yoga Teacher
Nick Kientsch www.evolvingminds.org.uk Mindfulness Tutor
Niels  Du Preez http://www.nieldupreez.eu Pianist
Stephen Cootes www.gba.org.uk GBA
Thomas James  Baden-Clare www.badenclare.com Photographer
Tudor  Lancaster Civil servant (DWP)

Ross Barr-Hoyland, our member in the news.

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/ross-barr/

Ross Barr-Hoyland: Inspired to design menswear with elegance

Founded in 2015, this UK fashion house is championing British knitwear for men

Ross Barr-Hoyland: Inspired to design menswear with elegance
Image courtesy of Ross Barr
David Gandy for Ross Barr
Using wool from Scotland, Ross Barr-Hoyland began his fashion brand with a classic piece of men’s knitwear called The Spencer.
Inspired by the elegance of the Regency Period, Barr-Hoyland has reinvented the garment, which was originally a woollen outer tail-coat with the tails cut off, worn as a short-waist-length, double-erased man’s jacket in the 1790s.
Elegant knitwear for men remains Barr-Hoyland’s passion. We spoke with the designer recently for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to design clothes for the men of today.
Ross BarrImage courtesy of Ross Barr
Ross Barr
Where do you draw your inspiration for your line?
I draw upon the history and culture of the UK. It can come from something I read – which is where The Spencer originated from – or from photographs, art work or just something I see.
Suddenly something pops into my head and then I spend time drawing out the concept, and then it’s made, where things are tweaked, to the final garment that you see.
Do you plan to continue to focus on wool or will you move to other materials?
I do plan to expand and work with other materials, but wool is so key to what the brand is about and will always be a key material.
My home city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire was once such a big part of the wool industry, but now doesn’t have anything. Wool was, and is, such a big part of the industry of the UK and its uses continue to grow and are becoming prominent once more with the Slow Fashion movement, and the British Wool Marketing Board.
But as Ross Barr continues to grow and evolve, other materials will come into the brand. So, watch this space.
Who are your role models?
I have many people whom I see and whom inspire me in different ways. But I draw upon three individuals whom I know and whom I have seen over the course of several years.
One of them is the author Juno Dawson whose writing and thoughts I find so completely inspiring. She is a legend.
Then there are two in the corporate business world: Daniel Winterfeldt and Simon Rodgers. Both of them have championed and worked tirelessly for the LGBTI community within their working environments and have made immeasurable achievements.
I have several role models, but these three are key. We draw strength from individuals and events that happen to others, as well as our own struggles and experiences. My own have shaped and will continue to shape the person I am now.
Do you have any designers and models you’d like to work with?
I think I am so incredibly lucky to work with the people I have already worked with. From the gracious and amazing David Gandy, to designers and brands such as Timothy Everest, Emma Willis, Cheaney, Goodwin Smith and Taylor Morris.
The models and photographers I’ve worked with have been the best and most brilliant people.
I have met so many other incredible brands and designers too. To single out anyone else would be cheeky, but this is an incredible community where everyone is warm and friendly so we will see. I can tell you there is something coming with a lady celebrity. Who and how, I can’t say.
Two designers though I would love to meet one day are Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren as they are personal idols. But I think I have some way to go if ever I cross paths with them.
You showed your collection to The Queen. How was that experience?
That will go down as one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I was asked to be part of an event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Prince’s Trust.
I was only told a few days before that Her Majesty as well His Royal Highness would be attending. As composed as I am, in that moment of my initial reaction I really was not.
I had no idea what to expect, but strangely when they came into the room, I wasn’t nervous. However, I nearly committed a faux pas when I almost did a curtsy instead of a bow. Luckily, I quickly corrected myself.
The Queen and indeed The Prince of Wales are two people who I, like many of us, have grown up with them in our mindsets. She was incredibly warm and engaging, asking several questions and actually feeling the garments for their texture and buttons.
Inside I was like: “OMG! Is this actually happening?’ On the outside I hope I was giving off the impression of being composed.
His Royal Highness was incredible. Joking, laughing and asking how we were all doing. I think and hope he was proud of all the people who there to represent the fruits of the hard work of him, and the large army of employees and volunteers who support all the people who come to the Trust for help.
Both of them have an incredible aura about them which makes everyone relaxed to be in their company.
How does your sexuality shape who you are?
They say everything you experience makes you the person who you are, and that’s certainly true for me.
My coming out wasn’t easy, and it was a long process due to my experiences and background.
I grew up in quite a conservative environment, and the only person I had knowingly met who was gay is one of my oldest and dearest friends from school who’s attitude of ‘I am who I am, love it or go away’ has been so inspiring for me.
When I was learning who I was, I turned to someone whom I thought I could trust and who could be a source of solace. But I was young and incredibly naive and sadly, their intentions were different and when that became clear, I felt betrayed and I went back into the closest because I thought that wasn’t me.
I was so scared to lose my family as I felt like they wouldn’t accept me. This led to years of depression and a battle within myself which, in all honesty, nearly cost me my life.
However when I came out, the world started to open up.
Besides feeling free and living for the first time in complete honesty about myself, it allowed me to meet some amazing people who have become some of my closest friends.
But all of what has happened has made me appreciate the struggle those who came before us, and indeed the struggle we still face for those who want to judge us.
My own struggle, and the struggles of others, I think brings us all together and gives us strength. Something we saw so beautifully orchestrated all over the world after the immense, unfathomable tragedy we saw in Orlando last year when the LGBTI community came together and held hands across the globe.
Being out of the closet, do you feel more free in your designs?
I can’t say that being gay effects my designs. My designs are very much based upon British heritage and culture, and how they fit the wants and desires of men today.
However, I do have more flamboyant designs in my design books, but I think they would be one-off pieces rather than something you would find selling in a store. Maybe I should do Haute Couture for men?
Have you ever felt any anti-LGBTI sentiments before or since you’ve become a designer?
In the industry, absolutely not, and none of my customers particularly care either to be honest. There is sometimes playful ‘flanter’ when people know. But I have never experienced any anti-LGBTI sentiments and I think that’s mainly because my industry praises and encourages individuals just to be themselves and your sexuality or gender is not important.
With your success do you think you will be giving back to the LGBTI community?
Absolutely. I have supported, and will continue to support, the community I am a very proud member of and which has done so much for me personally, whichever and whatever ways I can.
I’m asked regularly to support causes ranging from children with cancer, AIDS charities, charities supporting injured servicemen and women, and The Prince’s Trust. For whatever kindness you receive, it’s always important to pass it on and spread it.
This is what will always be important to myself and the brand.